The tech intrigue surrounding Red Bull’s front bib adjuster has thrown a spotlight on Formula 1’s parc ferme rules.

Central to the issue surrounding Red Bull is not that it had a device inside the car that can raise or lower the bib.

Instead, it all revolves around whether or not the team ever used it to make such a car change during parc ferme restrictions that are in place between the start of qualifying and the race.

The theory from some of its rivals is that it would be very simple for a Red Bull mechanic to lean in the cockpit with a tool and make such an adjustment on the sly.

Red Bull suggests such claims are nonsense and that it would have been impossible for it to do anything like that without getting spotted by the FIA, as it showed off a two-foot long tool that it says was used to make the tweaks in practice.

The views on both sides of the debate seem pretty entrenched right now. But, from the FIA’s perspective, the policing of parc ferme rules are pretty robust.

F1’s parc ferme rules are laid down in the sporting regulations and mainly allow only maintenance and safety changes, whether it be repairing accident damage, fixing broken components or alterations to improve driver comfort.

Set-up tweaks are heavily restricted and pretty much the only performance element that can be changed is the front wing flap angle. Teams cannot add, remove or replace bodywork parts.

If there are any parts of the car that the team wants to replace, then it must lodge a written request with the FIA and ensure that any new components are similar in design, mass, inertia and function to the original. Any parts taken off a car are also retained by the FIA should further checks be needed.

FIA delegates are checking the Red Bull Racing RB20 of Max Verstappen

Photo by: Andreas Beil

A watchful eye

To ensure teams comply with the rules, the FIA has two systems in place – one human and one electronic.

The first element is the use of scrutineers, who are assigned to each car for the duration of the weekend, to check the rules are complied with.

As the FIA’s deputy technical delegate Manuel Leal explained: “We have 20 scrutineers monitoring every single operation that is being done to the car and writing that down for us to check later.

“Also, at the beginning of the season, teams have to submit a list of operations they will normally conduct in parc fermé within the regulations, and we approve them or not.

“Each car is different so they might say that for them to check the combustion chamber, they need to remove the spark plugs and for removing the spark plugs, they need to remove something else. This list is given to the scrutineers, so they can follow what’s going on.” 

Beyond the scrutineer physically logging everything the team does, there are cameras inside the garages too.

Leal pointed out: “We have an overhead camera above each car that is monitored and recorded.

“Essentially, it’s similar to the CCTV any security firm might run. We monitor in real time, there are people watching constantly, and we can view anything that happens to that car.”

Set-up sheets

There are further ways that the FIA has to ensure that teams are not making sneaky changes to their cars that would be outside the regulations.

“The teams need to declare a set-up sheet for each car before qualifying,” explained Leal.

“That details cambers, toes, corner weights and so on. So, for example, if they crash and need to put the car back together, we will go down and check that they are only repairing the crash damage and not changing the set-up.

“We need to see the same cambers, the same toe and we will want to do a set-up check.

“If something needs to be replaced, say a potentiometer on a suspension has failed, we need to see evidence of the failure, and if it’s related to a critical performance point, such as weight distribution, ballast, suspension set-up, or aero – bar the front wing flap – then you will have an FIA person checking that it’s the same.”

Nikolas Tombazis, Head of Single Seater Technical Matters, FIA

Photo by: Mark Sutton

Advertisement

Fitting seals

The FIA is aware that scope is there for teams to make adjustments deep within the car that could alter a setting, which is why there are further ways it can guarantee compliance.

This is through the appliance of seals on device that can change settings – and that is something which happened with the Red Bull bib adjuster in Austin.

“Engines and gearboxes are, of course, sealed,” says Leal. “But we have the right to apply seals to whatever part we wish to keep track of.

“So if there is something we are concerned about that is critical and difficult to see live, even with the cameras, then we will add a seal.

“As a minimum, it’s gearboxes, power units, energy recovery systems, bodywork panels, the driver’s seat, but we can place seals wherever necessary. I think over the course of the season we order anything up to 40,000 seals, so that gives an indication of how stringent our checks are.”

Teams can work on their cars for two hours after qualifying, before a cover must be placed over it and left secure until the following day.

This cover is then removed five hours before the start of the formation lap for any further work.

And to further check compliance, the FIA does regular examinations of cars on race morning with its own staff to be totally sure that everything is in order.

Leal added: “FIA personnel typically do set-up and parts spec checks on Sunday morning, just to make sure that there is nothing a scrutineer has missed, which to be honest is rare.

“But it’s just a further level of vigilance for us to make sure that teams have stuck to the regulations, that we have a level playing field and that, unless there is a compelling reason, we go into the race with cars in the condition they qualified.” 

Xander Schauffele called himself “an idiot” after he carded a quadruple-bogey eight during the opening round of the PGA Tour’s Zozo Championship in Japan.

The 30-year-old United States player’s wayward tee shot on the par-four ninth at the Narashino Country Club wedged itself among some tree roots.

Rather than take a penalty drop, the double major winner twice tried to hit the ball from out of the roots – only to fail to dislodge it.

Schauffele shook his head and laughed as he considered making a third attempt, but finally took the drop for an unplayable lie.

“I wanted to take a photo of it almost, how bad it was. For me to think I can do anything definitely got me in a hole there,” Schauffele said.

“I should have just taken an unplayable, but I was an idiot and tried to hit it. Then I was stubborn and tried to hit it again, then finally took an unplayable.”

It was the only blemish on an otherwise straightforward three-over round of 73 for Schauffele, who won both PGA Open and British Open earlier this year, which featured one birdie and 16 pars.

Schauffele is 10 shots off first-round leader and compatriot Taylor Moore, whose round of 63 left him out in front at seven under par.

Moore holds a one-shot lead over fellow Americans Max Greyserman and Eric Cole, and Colombia’s Nico Echavarria.

England’s Harry Hall, who won his maiden PGA Tour title in July, is five shots off the lead at two under, while defending champion Collin Morikawa of the USA is a further shot back.

Threave manager Danny Dunglinson cannot hide his admiration for his player.

“It’s horrific what him and his family are going through,” Dunglinson said of the midfielder. “He’s only 19, so trying to get your head round what he’s going through is very hard.

“Seeing him on the pitch, you can’t quite believe he is experiencing what he’s experiencing. I don’t think he’s missed a training session.

“During games, he’s never once looked out of place or looked like he’s struggling. If anything, he looks like he’s getting better, which is staggering.”

Watson considers himself “lucky” to have scored in the first-round win, having promised Dunglinson that he would.

“The reaction when he scored was brilliant,” Dunglinson said. “The cheer was that extra bit louder, even though it was the last goal in a 6-1 win in the last minute.

“I think it meant a lot to his team-mates as well.”

Watson’s mother Amanda Woods said “there’s just no words” for the ordeal her son and their family are enduring.

“He’s an amazing human being and he copes with it all very well,” she said. “Which means I’ll cope with it well too.

“He is still playing his football. He’s a very driven and strong-minded young man and always has been.

“I would swap places in a heartbeat. There’s no question about it. We’ve got to keep each other going.

“Charlie’s never failed to make us proud of him. We’re so proud of him for everything and Friday’s just yet another.”

If you are affected by any of the issues in this article, visit BBC Action Line

PREMIER LEAGUE fans are treated to some of the best players and managers in the world – and at one ground the best jerk chicken in London.

Original Tasty Jerk is located a stone’s throw away from Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park stadium.

6

6

Advertisement

6

6

6

6

Advertisement

It is a hotspot for fans – both home and away – on matchday, with queues stretching out the door.

And for good reason, having been listed in The Observer’s ’30 things we love in the world of food right now’ last year.

Reviews on Google label the takeaway the “best jerk chicken in the UK” with “magic” in their recipes.

Now SunSport can vouch for those claims after trying out a selection of Tasty Jerk’s offerings.

Reporter Robbie Murdoch ventured to south London where he tasted several dishes and shared his review.

He said: “We went for the jerk seabass, the spicy fish melts off the bone.

“The OTJ mix which is a variety mix of the best meats of the bunch, plus traditional sides of dumpling, plantain, and rice and peas with extra gravy.

“You get an absolute mountain of food which we could not wait to devour on the wall outside – just as thousands of fans do. Outstanding.”

BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS

Fans can pick up a meal for as little as £9 with goat and pork also on the menu.

And the establishment has become so iconic Crystal Palace even announced the appointment of Frank de Boer by filming the white smoke emitting from the Tasty Jerk chimney in 2017.

ABU DHABI – The UFC 308 pre-fight press conference takes place Thursday, and you can watch a live stream of the event in the video above.

The press conference takes place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, which also hosts Saturday’s fight card, which airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+.

UFC 308 is built around a highly anticipated featherweight championship contest. Ilia Topuria puts gold on the line for the first time vs. former titleholder Max Holloway in the main event. And in the co-headliner, former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker clashes with undefeated Khamzat Chimaev (11-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC).

Here’s what you need to know about the UFC 308 press conference.

What time does the UFC 308 press conference start?

The UFC 307 press conference starts at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT, which is 4:30 p.m. local time in Abu Dhabi.

Who’s taking part in the UFC 308 press conference?

The 10 fighters scheduled for the main card bouts are slated to participate in the UFC 307 press conference: Topuria, Holloway, Whittaker, Chimaev, Lerone Murphy, Dan Ige, Magomed Ankalaev, Aleksandar Rakic, Shara Magomedov and Armen Petrosyan.

It’s unclear if UFC CEO Dana White will oversee the UFC 308 pre-fight press conference.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Super Formula has insisted that the removal of its planned South Korea race from the 2025 calendar does not mark the end of its plans to expand its footprint in Asia.

The Japanese championship announced in August that it would be visiting the Inje Speedium circuit next year, in what was set to be its first overseas race since 2004.

However, it was revealed earlier this month during the most recent round at Fuji that the Inje race would not be going ahead after all as negotiations between Super Formula organiser JRP and the promoter of the Inje event failed to reach a positive conclusion.

Speaking to Motorsport.com, JRP President Yoshihisa Ueno made it clear that the door is open for a fresh round of negotiations with Inje, although he stressed there aren’t “concrete” plans for the venue to feature on the 2026 calendar.

“We had imposed a deadline of mid-September to conclude the negotiations because we needed to start preparing for next year and also we needed to submit a final version of the calendar to [JAF],” explained Ueno.

”Unfortunately we couldn’t make it in time, but it’s not the end of the road and we would like to continue discussions with them to try and make the race happen in the future.”

Pit lane

Photo by: Masahide Kamio

Inje may not be Super Formula’s only option to hold an overseas round in 2026, with Ueno revealing there have been approaches from “several circuits in Asia”, without giving away any specific countries or tracks.

But Ueno cautioned that any agreement to host a race in Asia must be mutually beneficial and ultimately lead to an uptick in Super Formula’s popularity overseas.

“We want to play a role in making motorsport culture grow in that country, so it will lead to an increase in fan interest in the championship,” he said. “It has to benefit us as well.”

Even with no overseas race on the 2025 schedule, Super Formula is still set for its largest ever number of races in a single season with 12, up from this year’s nine.

This comes as a result of the number of double-headers being expanded from two this season to five, with only the Autopolis and Sugo rounds staying as one-race weekends.

While Super Formula has been working towards increasing the number of races in recent seasons, Ueno admits that the congested nature of the domestic motorsport calendar makes it challenging to increase the number of events held on Japanese soil.

He suggested there could be up to three overseas rounds held in future, with fewer constraints in terms of available dates due to the warmer climates of other Asian countries.

“Our goal is to eventually have 10 events in a year,” stated Ueno. “But because the schedule in Japan is quite crowded with SUPER GT and Super Taikyu, the extra ones will have to be outside Japan.”

Ueno added that the ideal scenario for Super Formula would be to have all weekends as double-headers, which could mean a 20-race schedule in future.

“We are thinking about going in that direction,” he admitted. “There are still many things that need to fall into place for that to happen, though.”